1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph.
Set in the 1966 Westside of Los Angeles, Queen's Garden starts off in Brenda Wong Aoki's childhood in a low income community. Although the community is very racially diverse, Brenda mainly grows up with Pacific Islanders. Even though Brenda is very much included within her community as
the play develops, she starts to see herself as more an outsider once she enters a more advanced class within her high school.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play occurs during Brenda's high school days. She is put into a more advanced class and therefore separated from all of her friends such as smoke and bullet. However, this gave Brenda the chance to meet and understand the wealthier kids, such as Sherry and Steve.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor of Queens Garden is that Brenda Aoki is able to tell the years that really shaped Brenda in the play. She is decides what to present and tell the audience and from the year of her choice.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will Brenda be able to bring both worlds together in a happy coexistence with each other?
Will Kali and Smoke come to a ceasefire?
What will happen to Brenda and Kali?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first exposition would be the the narrator knows her story and exactly how it happens. The second would be that the narrator decides what portions of her stories they decide to share about her past.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in the play would be the at the end of the play when Dreamer shoots his gun. The sound of a gun shot can really catch people off guard and make the scene more traumatic. With Kali dead and gone, Brenda is able to leave Westside without any regrets. She can now walk her own path and is able to never look back.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Ethnicity
Coming of age
Identity
8. What do the narrator want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
Brenda just wants to to fit in somewhere. This occurs throughout the play. At first she belonged to the Westside and once school separated her from her friends, she wanted to fit in both the Westside and the wealthy kids. As time went on she just wanted to live her life the way that she wanted. She wanted to walk her own path and this is why she heads to San Francisco. The only thing standing in her way would be the fact that these two groups refuse to blend with each other and rather than focus on what they have in common, they just want to focus their differences.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
The rose garden can be seen as the diamond in the rough. Even though the area around them looks rough, Brenda sees the garden as a beauty and safeplace. Another image would be the ocean. Much like how people of the past saw the ocean as an unexplored adventure that allowed people of the land to take on a new path, Brenda see the ocean as her escape from Westside.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family is a strong foundation of this play. Between Brenda's real family, her friends, and the community as a whole, everyone seems to be apart of this large dysfunctional family. Much like most families, there will always be those that you do not get along with, and that is very much seen in this play, but at the end of the day they are still family. As said in the play and in Lilo and Stitch Ohana mean family. Family means noone gets left behind or forgotten.
Set in the 1966 Westside of Los Angeles, Queen's Garden starts off in Brenda Wong Aoki's childhood in a low income community. Although the community is very racially diverse, Brenda mainly grows up with Pacific Islanders. Even though Brenda is very much included within her community as
the play develops, she starts to see herself as more an outsider once she enters a more advanced class within her high school.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play occurs during Brenda's high school days. She is put into a more advanced class and therefore separated from all of her friends such as smoke and bullet. However, this gave Brenda the chance to meet and understand the wealthier kids, such as Sherry and Steve.
3. What is the unique factor?
The unique factor of Queens Garden is that Brenda Aoki is able to tell the years that really shaped Brenda in the play. She is decides what to present and tell the audience and from the year of her choice.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
Will Brenda be able to bring both worlds together in a happy coexistence with each other?
Will Kali and Smoke come to a ceasefire?
What will happen to Brenda and Kali?
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
The first exposition would be the the narrator knows her story and exactly how it happens. The second would be that the narrator decides what portions of her stories they decide to share about her past.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in the play would be the at the end of the play when Dreamer shoots his gun. The sound of a gun shot can really catch people off guard and make the scene more traumatic. With Kali dead and gone, Brenda is able to leave Westside without any regrets. She can now walk her own path and is able to never look back.
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Ethnicity
Coming of age
Identity
8. What do the narrator want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
Brenda just wants to to fit in somewhere. This occurs throughout the play. At first she belonged to the Westside and once school separated her from her friends, she wanted to fit in both the Westside and the wealthy kids. As time went on she just wanted to live her life the way that she wanted. She wanted to walk her own path and this is why she heads to San Francisco. The only thing standing in her way would be the fact that these two groups refuse to blend with each other and rather than focus on what they have in common, they just want to focus their differences.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
The rose garden can be seen as the diamond in the rough. Even though the area around them looks rough, Brenda sees the garden as a beauty and safeplace. Another image would be the ocean. Much like how people of the past saw the ocean as an unexplored adventure that allowed people of the land to take on a new path, Brenda see the ocean as her escape from Westside.
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
Family is a strong foundation of this play. Between Brenda's real family, her friends, and the community as a whole, everyone seems to be apart of this large dysfunctional family. Much like most families, there will always be those that you do not get along with, and that is very much seen in this play, but at the end of the day they are still family. As said in the play and in Lilo and Stitch Ohana mean family. Family means noone gets left behind or forgotten.